


Those Magic Changes

by TheSadisticMunchkin



Series: 30 Days of Hamburr Challenge [18]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: 30 Days of Hamburr, 30 Days of Writing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Buzzfeed, Buzzfeed Colleagues, Co-workers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Roller Coaster, F/F, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, gOOOODDDDDD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 09:25:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6560914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/TheSadisticMunchkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hi! I’m Alexander and I’m going to marry Aaron for a week, which is probably a huge mistake.”</p><p>Based on the "Single People Get Married For A Week" video by Buzzfeed</p><p>Day 18 of the 30 Days of Hamburr Self-Induced Challenge of 2016</p>
            </blockquote>





	Those Magic Changes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [writelikeitsgoingoutofstyle (twoandahalfslytherins)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoandahalfslytherins/gifts).



> IT'S HERE
> 
> IT'S THE LONGEST ONE YET
> 
> AND IT'S THE GAYESTTTTTT
> 
> DEDICATION OF THE DAY GOES TO THE AMAZING writelikitsgoingoutofstyle!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!

“I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss the groom.”

 

_ “Don’t fall in love with me.” _

* * *

 

**_1 Week Before_ **

 

Alexander never predicted for his  _ Single AF  _ series to blow up the way it did. He didn’t think that a drunken idea at Mulligan’s birthday party would become an internet sensation. Most of the time it was just videos of him doing stupid stuff as a young, frankly eligible, single man. The fact that he was also bisexual really blew up the views. During his  _ Opposites Attract  _ video, he made sure to date both a guy and a girl. That video helped him come out to the rest of the Buzzfeed community.

 

He was grateful that they were all really supportive. So now if he was going to be in a video where he had to pretend to be in a relationship, he could literally date anyone. The only thing keeping him from  _ actually  _ dating anyone in the office was because it was company policy. He wasn’t that well-versed in the rules but he was informed first day that dating anyone in the office was a big no. Unless you were married to a co-worker  _ before  _ you worked together, it’s generally frowned upon.

 

(He wasn’t right but no one wanted to tell him.)

 

Bummer. Everyone who worked in the office was really hot.

 

However, the fact that he was single helped give him his own video series. He used to be just at the sidelines or would sometimes get a video about relatable stuff on Violet but that was it. He never had an entire  _ video series  _ to himself where he gets to decide what the content would be, who would be in it, and who would help. Of course, he got most of his friends in on the project since it’s much more fun to do it around people he’s most familiar with.

 

This video was no different. This time he was going to be married for a week.

 

It was mostly Lafayette’s idea, once again during one of their monthly bar hangouts, and they ended up having an elaborate schedule and possible people Alex could marry. The first person they asked was Eliza, whom Alex actually had a crush on the first time he started working at Buzzfeed, but she declined because she was already dating Maria. Next was her sister Angelica but Alex was the one to say no because he found Angelica to be more of a big sister now, not a potential love.

 

That ship sank a long time ago.

 

So they went around the office, asking people if they were willing to marry Alex for a week, and they were starting to lose hope.  _ Nobody _ wanted to marry Alex. He should have been offended by the fact that everybody was appalled by the idea of living with Alex and being his husband or wife. He actually was. Alex thought of himself to be a pretty decent guy. He was romantic, a gentleman, and he was not afraid to stand up for what was right. He was also a bit of a douchebag, actually.

 

Maybe that was why nobody wanted to be with him. It made him a little disappointed but he and Lafayette have not lost hope just yet. There were a few people from Buzzfeedviolet that were always game to do anything. They briefly considered some of the girls there but Lafayette soon pointed out a certain wallflower near the coffee machine. “Aaron?” Asked Alex with a little blush creeping up his cheeks. Fuck. This was the first time he didn’t  _ want  _ someone to say yes.

 

Alex  _ already  _ had a crush on Aaron. 

 

Everyone just didn’t know it.

 

“Why not? Burr has only been getting a few videos on Violet. His biggest video series was the  _ Misheard Lyrics  _ series. He works with Eugene a lot.” Laf was already walking towards him before he finished talking so Alex really had no other choice but to follow him. This was a bad idea. He shouldn’t have agreed to do this in the first place but he thought it was a good concept the second it came out of Lafayette’s mouth. Who wouldn’t want to experience marriage at least once?

 

Alex just wished it wasn’t with  _ Aaron.  _ Wouldn’t it already complicate what he felt for the tall, dark, and handsome wallflower if he married him for a week?  _ It’s not like it’s real.  _ That’s what made it even worse. It isn’t real, it won’t be real in the near future. The mere thought of having to share his bed, eat dinner with him, and maybe even hold hands with him in public made him dizzy. Laf was already talking to Burr before he was able to regain his composure.

 

_ Fuck, he looked cuter up close. _

 

“Burr, would you like to marry Hamilton for a week?” 

 

Suddenly the taller man’s eyes were on him and he wanted to shrivel up and die in that exact moment. Did he have to be so intimidatingly hot? It wasn’t  _ fair  _ to work with someone who looked like Aaron Burr every damn day. It was _ especially _ unfair when he barely talked to the guy. Alex was actually afraid his little crush could really just be infatuation because he’s so deprived of human contact it’s  _ concerning.  _ Still. He couldn’t help but wonder.

 

What would it feel like to hold hands with Aaron Burr? 

 

What would it be like to wake up next to him everyday?

 

What would it feel like to be  _ his _ for an entire week?

 

The thought wasn’t actually unappealing in the slightest. Before he could even say anything, Alex was startled completely by Burr’s answer to Lafayette’s question. “Why not? It would be fun.” He was smiling at him this time.  _ He was smiling at him.  _

 

Alex hoped he would be able to survive the week.

* * *

**_Day 1_ **

 

“Hi! I’m Alexander and I’m going to marry Aaron for a week, which is probably a huge mistake.” 

 

Laughter was heard from behind the camera and even Burr ducked his head to hide his smile. Alex made sure not to make too poor a showing by staring at Aaron the entire time he was giving his little introductory spiel. At one point, he was asked by Laurens if he was actually considering getting into a serious relationship and maybe actually getting married for real. He indulged himself in the sight of Aaron waiting for his answer for a second before he spoke again to the camera with a big smile.

 

“At some point… I  _ want  _ to share my life with someone,” He paused for a second to look at Aaron again, who was giving him an encouraging smile. Shit.  _ Why did they pick him again? _ He seemed like the most perfect husband already, he’ll  _ never  _ want to get a divorce now. “And the logistics of that seem a little frightening.” He made sure not to look like he was directing all of those words to Aaron up until it was Aaron’s turn to speak in front of the camera.

 

“I’m not  _ good  _ at letting people into my life.” Aaron actually looked a bit shy in front of the camera, which made him look even more adorable. Even  _ Laurens  _ looked like he was falling in love with Aaron Burr. Fuck, Alex couldn’t blame him. “I never had to plan my life around another person and that’s honestly fine for me.” He shifted a little bit and looked up to gain a little bit of his new husband’s confidence behind the camera. “But I’m excited to see how this’ll work out.”

 

“And cut!” Called Laurens and the other people in the crew dispersed and went to do their jobs. Alex and Aaron remained there with Lafayette and Laurens to discuss what they were supposed to film for the rest of the week. Alex’s heart was pounding in his chest as Aaron stood so close to him, almost towering above him. “Alright guys, we’re giving you two individual cameras to film each other throughout the week.” Laurens handed them waterproof video cameras each.

 

“But before any of that, you’re going to consult one of the married people, which is me, in the office and we actually have to film you two getting married. I got Washington to officiate for us.” The rest of the instructions went in one ear and came out the other the farther they got from the studio.  _ I just signed up to marry Aaron Burr for a week.  _ The thought was running over and over in Alex’s head until he couldn’t think about anything else for the next 10 minutes.

 

One week with Aaron Burr.

 

This should be fun, right?

* * *

 

“Are you going to carry me over the threshold?”

 

“How about  _ you _ carry me?”

 

“Not fair! You’re way bigger than me!”

 

The moment they arrived to Alexander’s apartment complex, they were already bickering like an old married couple. He thought maybe that was a good start for them. They wouldn’t be married if it was all about kisses and rainbows and good times, right? There had to be a few rocky paths in their fake relationship, he would rather get it out of the way now than risk a potentially good friendship with Burr after the week was over.

 

He glanced at the calendar he kept close to the front door and sighed. Six more days. He could handle six more days of trying not to jump Burr. “God, why do you have so much shit?” He gestured towards Burr’s huge ass bag and pillows stuffed underneath his armpit. Aaron only looked at him as if he should know the answer to this question. Alex did but it was nice to try and tease him.

 

“We’re going to be living together for a week.” He deadpanned and Alex rolled his eyes. Of course he knew that but he didn’t expect him to have  _ that  _ much shit with him. That meant he would have to move some of his stuff to accommodate Aaron. Fuck. This was harder than he thought. Burr followed him into his room and soon another problem arose from the ashes.

 

Which side of the bed will he sleep on?

* * *

 

_ “I know at some point, I’m going to have to want him to shut up. And I know  _ he  _ is definitely going to want me to shut up.” _

* * *

 

“What? I’m going to make your bed?” Burr asked incredulously after he finished settling his stuff in Alexander’s closet.

 

“Yo, it’s  _ our  _ bed now! You might as well help me.” The cameraman who followed them for the first 2 hours was already trying so hard not to laugh out loud at their antics. Alex tried not to glare at him but he was able to convince Burr to help make his bed. “We’re going to sleep next to each other, pumpkin. We have to get used to each other at  _ some  _ point.”

 

“Pumpkin?”

 

Burr wasn’t mad at him but he was a little confused at the pet name. Alex bit his lip in embarrassment. He didn’t mean for the pet name to come out, it just  _ came out.  _ But Burr didn’t seem too fazed by it. In fact the more he thought about it, the more he became fond of it and Alex could see it in his eyes. “So is that our married couple pet name now?  _ Pumpkin?” _ It sounded completely different coming out of Aaron’s mouth and it actually got Alex to blush a little bit.

 

“Yeah, if you want it to be.” His voice was a little soft and almost vulnerable and he couldn’t find it within himself to hide his blush. Burr placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled at him to non-verbally tell him it was okay. Alex was still a little distraught so Burr slid his hand down his arm until their fingers were intertwined. He squeezed his hand in his until Alex had no choice but to look up at him. 

 

_ This is going to be a long week. _

 

“I like it, pumpkin.”

* * *

 

_ “I assume it’s going to teach me a lot about myself. It’s definitely going to teach me a lot about Alex, that’s for sure.” _

* * *

 

“Don’t fall in love with me.” 

 

“Why do you keep saying that?”

 

Alex shrugged and fell backwards on to his, no  _ their,  _ bed and took a deep breath in. The camera man left them about an hour ago so now the newlyweds were alone. Alex liked it better when they were alone, actually. It meant that he now had a say in what he could film on his own camera. But that also meant Burr now had the liberty to film whatever he wanted as well. He trusted Burr to at least not get any too embarrassing stuff. 

 

_ Aaron. _

 

He should actually start calling him Aaron this time.

 

“You might fall in love with me you know, pumpkin.” He turned his head a little bit to the side to see that Aaron laid next to him and was already facing him. This was a nice picture. It’s something Alex could dream about when he slept tonight. “I’ll try not to fall in love with you too so we could be even.” Aaron shifted his position a little bit on the bed so that his entire body was facing Alex. He wasn’t saying anything but his eyes conveyed he wanted to say everything all at once. 

 

Alex wondered every single time what would come out.

 

“Then try not to make it too easy to fall in love with you, okay pumpkin?” Alex was definitely not expecting that to come out but he couldn’t say anything in response because Aaron was already digging out his camera from his bag. “Why don’t we film us doing something together?”

* * *

_ “For me, the hardest thing to conceptualize is that your freedom is just gone!” _

* * *

 

**_Day 2_ **

 

“So Alex just told me he wants a divorce.” Aaron calmly said into his video camera and Alex made sure to stick his tongue out at his husband.

 

“I do.” He said, almost like a whiny baby, as he walked away into the bathroom. Aaron was, weirdly, following him around saying that they needed to talk this out. He was actually getting properly annoyed by him. Wow. He never thought he could say that Aaron Burr got under his skin but here he was 2 days later, married to him, and wanting to be left alone. It wasn’t like they had a big fight or anything, Alex was actually stressed out with himself. He decided to take his stress out on Aaron because that’s what married people do, right?

 

He found his own camera sitting on the bedside table after their most recent petty fight (leaving the toilet seat up after taking a shit) and he decided to actually say something himself. This was a video all about the intricacies of a married life. He couldn’t just always show the good parts. People need to know what they’re really going for when they get married. It’s stressful as  _ balls  _ and he sometimes felt like he shouldn’t even deserve to marry Aaron.

 

It’s gotten to that point in his self-esteem, the part where he’s afraid, that he was going to destroy the relationship. He picked up the camera with shaking hands, he wasn’t sure why they were shaking, turned it on and faced it towards him. In the display screen, he saw that he was actually a lot more distraught than the day before. Maybe they were right in saying there was a honeymoon phase and then the rest was all downhill from there. 

 

He didn’t expect the honeymoon phase to be over so quickly.

 

“You know, there have got to be moments where you just panic about like,” He took a deep breath and bit his lip. “You think, oh shit I just signed up for  _ the rest of my life  _ with him! It’s scary shit, yo.” He didn’t notice that Aaron was walking into their room in his process of vlogging about their marriage. “We’re only on the second day and I’m actually  _ resenting  _ the amount of time we spend together. And that’s  _ not  _ good.” 

 

He felt the mattress dip next to him and he couldn’t even bring himself to look at Aaron until he was finished filming. “Anyway, maybe I’m just being silly. My husband is sitting next to me right now so I guess we’re just going to have to talk about it. That’s what married couples do, right?” Alex reached over and turned off the camera before he faced Aaron on the bed. Aaron’s camera was also in his hands but he wasn’t filming anything. That meant that this conversation was for them only.

 

“Do you think we spend too much time together? Honestly, I never thought that being with you could feel so stressful.” Alexander pulled his knees up and underneath his chin to try and hide the trembling of his lips. “I don’t like fighting with you.” He quietly confessed, his heart there on the open. Aaron scooted closer to him and when Alex looked at him, his arms were open and inviting him for a hug. How could Alex say no to such a thing?

 

So they sat there, cuddled up in each other’s arms, just silent for once. There're a million things they could be talking about but they opted to just enjoy each other’s company. It was nice. It felt nice to just do this, cuddle and forget their problems for a little bit. Alex buried his face into Aaron’s chest and breathed in his newly-showered scent. He smelled like a goddamn tree but, honestly, he didn’t mind it at all.

* * *

 

_ “You definitely need time where you’re not engaging with the other person and it’s not rude.” _

* * *

It clicked in his mind that he was actually not married and Alex buried his face further into Aaron’s chest. This was probably just Aaron being a good husband. It wasn’t like he actually liked him or anything. He just agreed to marry him and this is what marriage is like. It was petty fights, unshed tears, and cuddling late at night. It was unspoken apologies, forehead kisses, and bickering early in the morning.

 

Alex wanted more of it.

* * *

 

“Does this mean we’re made up from our fight?” Aaron mumbled into his hair. _ This isn’t real.   _ Alex sighed, rubbed his cheek softly on Aaron’s chest, and looked up at him through his eyelashes. Aaron’s breath hitched in his throat at the sight of Alex looking at him like that.  _ This isn’t real.  _ How could it only be the second day? The way Alex’s body draped over his, the way his hands traced random patterns on his arm and the way their comfortable silence enveloped his heart felt so damn natural.

 

He felt like he was meant to do this for the rest of his life.

 

_ You only have 4 days left. _

 

He wished it wasn’t.

 

“How are we going to make the viewers think we didn’t just hug it out?” Alex asked from his position on Aaron’s chest. It seemed like the smaller man didn’t want to move at all and he was honestly fine with that. He was fine with just holding Alex for the rest of the night and forgetting about the video they were supposed to be filming. He was fine with just simply being Alex’s husband. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he was pretending anymore.

 

“Why don’t you say you got a funny snapchat of me?” Alex’s smile was radiant and he placed a soft kiss on Aaron’s neck, so soft he almost didn’t feel it, before he slipped out of his arms to find his phone. Aaron stayed on the bed and watched as his husband,  _ for only 4 more days,  _ searched the room for his phone. He was suddenly so afraid of not being able to do this anymore once all this was over.

 

_ Don’t fall in love with me. _

 

Unfortunately, he was starting to.

* * *

 

_ “Date night with Lafayette and Laurens made me realize why people get married.” _

* * *

**_Day 4_ **

 

They were going to be late for their double date.

 

“Hey, at least I found a great parking spot.” Alex punched Aaron’s arm lightly before they exited the car and walked hand-in-hand to the front porch of the Laurens-Lafayette residence. He didn’t know when they just started to hold hands in public but it felt so natural. He didn’t want it to stop, actually. Holding Aaron’s hand was like a constant reassurance that someone was there for you. It calmed him down more than he cared to admit.

 

Aaron took out his camera as soon as they walked up to the front door and he tried so hard not to glare at it. The camera was a constant reminder that this entire marriage was  _ not real.  _ He was so tempted to just scrap the idea altogether and just kiss Aaron right there and then. He didn’t care anymore if he was going to get fired for making a move on his colleague. Company policy be damned, he  _ really _ wanted to be with Aaron Burr.

 

But he couldn’t do that. At least, not now.

 

So when the camera was on, so was his facade.

* * *

 

“You know, you and Alex look really cute together. I’m genuinely surprised.”

 

Aaron looked up from the chicken he was pounding and right at Laurens who was looking at him with approval. He should be relieved that Alexander’s best friend approves of their relationship. Except, he wasn’t. This was a fake relationship. Lafayette and Laurens simply just thought that they were really good at pretending. It made Aaron’s heart hurt a little bit to know that maybe Alex was the only one pretending now.

 

He  _ hates  _ it.

 

“I would say the same about you and Gilbert but…” John punched his arm lightly with a soft  _ shut up  _ before he took the meat hammer away from Aaron.

 

“Oh haha very funny, Burr. But seriously, you guys had me fooled there for a solid minute when you walked in hand-in-hand and shit.” His hand was on his shoulder and Aaron glanced at the golden band wrapped around his ring finger. Laurens and Lafayette had a real marriage. They could actually kiss each other and do whatever they wanted in the bedroom. They didn’t have to walk on eggshells around each other or be afraid. Since they married before working for Buzzfeed, they didn’t have to worry about Company Policy screwing them over.

 

Aaron wanted that so much with Alex now. Every time Aaron would wake up before Alex, he would watch the rise and fall of his chest and feel overwhelming sadness at not being able to see that in a few days anymore.  _ Don’t fall in love with me.  _ He said that to him on the first day. Before, he said that it wasn’t going to happen. He doesn’t fall in love so easily. Now, as he stood there in his  _ married  _ friend’s kitchen, he didn’t think it was possible to fall in love with Alex so quickly.

 

He couldn’t stop himself.

 

He was helpless.

* * *

_ “You have to do at least 2 random acts of kindness.” _

 

_ “... Each?” _

 

_ “You know what, let’s just do one.” _

* * *

 

**_Day 5_ **

 

Alex waited for Aaron in their room, his hands over his eyes, and anticipation was bubbling in his chest. Aaron said this morning, a little hungover, that he had a few surprises in store for him today. Alex wasn’t sure  _ what  _ he was going to give him or do to him but he was excited nonetheless. He never figured Aaron to be an unpredictable husband. In fact, for the past few days, he has been acting like a pretty okay husband. He never expected surprises.

 

He heard the familiar sound of Aaron’s footsteps entering the room and he was careful not to remove his hands immediately. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise that Aaron had for him. When his husband told him to open his eyes, he was delighted to see that he brought him breakfast, complete with a warm cup of Starbucks from across the street, on a tray. “Surprise, pumpkin!” Aaron said with his voice still a little groggy from waking up so early but Alex’s smile was wide.

 

“Holy shit, thank you!” He tried to stand up and give Aaron a hug but his husband pushed him down gently and placed the tray on his lap. He had his little video camera perched near the eggs and he took it in his hand to face Alex properly.

 

“This is just phase one of your surprise.” Aaron looked like he was going to bounce around in anticipation and Alex was very close to doing so. Phase one? Breakfast in bed was an incredible feat in itself, what was he going to do that would top this? “I know how much you like musicals.” He fucking loved musicals. He  _ lived and breathed _ musicals. “The international touring group of  _ Grease  _ is coming back to New York for one night only and…”

 

_ “We’re going to watch Grease?”  _

 

His glass of orange juice almost toppled over in his excitement, which caused Aaron to laugh out loud. “Yes, pumpkin, we’re going to watch Grease.” Alex wanted to do nothing but hug his husband right now so he placed the tray on his bedside table before launching himself at Aaron with a million thank you’s spewing out of his mouth. 

 

He  _ loved  _ being married.

* * *

 

**_Day 6_ **

 

There was no one in this entire world who could make Aaron Burr dance to the Grease: Live soundtrack except for Alexander Hamilton.

 

Who could deny a tiny man shaking his hips to  _ You’re The One That I Want? _

 

They left the camera filming on the bedside table as they danced around. Alex was attempting to sing Sandy’s parts and he was even urging Aaron to sing Danny’s parts. Somewhere along the way, they were both singing at the top of their lungs to each song and Alex was practically dancing his heart out. Aaron actually forgot for a second that none of this was real. He didn’t let the thought intrude into his mind so he allowed himself to just live in the moment.

 

It was one of the very few moments he had left with Alex.

 

Alex’s favorite song - _ Those Magic Changes -  _ soon came on and his eyes lit up as bright as they could. “I love this song.” He whispered and giddily grabbed Aaron’s hands so they could have a sloppy little waltz to Doody’s crooning vocals on the speakers. Aaron’s heart was beating to an entirely different drum as Alex held him close. He couldn’t help but look at Alex’s smiling lips when he wrapped his arms around his neck.

 

_ Wait for it. _

 

His patience was wearing thin each time Alex laid his head on his shoulder. His heart was beating faster and faster with each passing second. He could barely see more than 3 feet ahead of him. He only had eyes for his husband, for one more day, and he tightened his grip on the smaller man’s waist. The action prompted Alex to look up at him with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Aaron couldn’t look away. How could he?

 

_ Don’t fall in love with me. _

 

Too late.

 

His lips were touching Alex’s before he could stop it.

* * *

 

_ What’s that playing on the radio? _

 

He didn’t know who kissed first.

 

_ Why do I start swaying to and fro? _

 

He couldn’t stop.

 

_ I have never heard that song before. _

 

His hands had a tight grip on the front of Aaron’s shirt as the kiss continued.

 

_ But if I don’t hear it anymore… _

 

Alex opened his eyes and pulled away.

 

_ No.  _ He couldn’t do this. Why did he kiss him?  _ Why did Aaron kiss him back?  _ All his emotions were crashing down on him and he finally let his tears of frustration go as he let out a sob. This wasn’t supposed to happen right now. They were supposed to end the filming process, divorce, and then maybe go from there. He wasn’t supposed to kiss him at all throughout the week but his heart couldn’t stand waiting anymore. 

 

His heart also couldn’t stand being too far away from Aaron. He bunched the fabric of Aaron’s shirt in his hands and buried his face in his chest. It was reminiscent of the time when they had their first petty fight and Alex was afraid of falling in love with him. His fears all came true but he couldn’t shake the feeling of  _ bliss  _ when he kissed Aaron. It was as if no one else mattered but the two of them in each other’s arms.

 

It was wrong.

 

_ Yet it felt right. _

 

“I-I’m so s-sorry, I didn’t m-mean--” He couldn’t even string together a sentence but Aaron was caressing his face softly before he could even hide it again. He blew it. They should just stop the entire video project altogether. The entire purpose of this was to just experience marriage and give an honest, professional opinion of married life. The only thing Alex promised himself to do was not fall in love.

 

But it seemed that he wasn’t the only one who broke his own rule.

 

“Alex, look at me…” The way he caressed his face, kept his voice soft and delicate, and looked at him like he created the stars made a choked sob come out of Alex’s throat. How could it be possible to fall in love with someone so quickly? Why did Aaron have to do this to him? Aaron, who held him at night, who kissed him on the forehead, who helped him understand the importance of silence, was looking at him like he was his whole world.

 

He didn’t want it to end but it  _ had  _ to.

 

“Alex, you don’t have to say sorry.”

 

“I wasn’t supposed to kiss you.”

 

“I  _ wanted  _ you to.” The sincerity in his  _ (fake)  _ husband’s voice made his legs give out underneath him but Aaron caught him before he could crumple up on the floor. Alex wrapped his arms tightly around Aaron’s neck as he allowed himself to cry. This was what he always wanted yet this  _ wasn’t  _ what he wanted. He wanted Aaron, yes. But he didn’t want to have him in this way, where their marriage will expire tomorrow and company policy will keep them further apart.

 

Oh but the way Aaron held him was unlike any other feeling in this world. The way Aaron looked at him, the way he smiled at him, the way he called him  _ pumpkin  _ sent electric shocks through his veins. His concern was how he was going to break it to the rest of the  _ Single AF  _ team? Obviously, he wasn’t single anymore. But he wasn’t sure how long he would have Aaron before they get sick of each other again.

 

He didn’t want Aaron to leave him anymore.

 

“What are we going to do when this is all over?” He found his voice finally and looked up at Aaron with a distraught expression. His husband shushed him and kissed his tear-stained cheeks so lovingly that Alex had to hold back another sob.  _ What did he do to deserve this?  _

 

“Don’t think about that.” Alex didn’t have the strength to protest anymore. He missed the taste of Aaron’s lips so he kissed them again, almost like Aaron was the only one who could provide him with life now. His large hands balanced him carefully on his lap and Alex almost whimpered against his lips. He kissed him harder, sloppier, more desperate. The camera on the bedside table lay forgotten. Aaron pulled away slowly after a few minutes and prevented Alex from chasing his lips again.

 

“Pumpkin, why do you kiss like you’re running out of time?” He traced another tear track on his husband’s face but Alex only shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. Heaven knows this was what he has been waiting for. The dread of having to divorce Aaron loomed closer by the minute and he wanted to do everything in his power to push it away. Even just for a little while. They weren’t pretending anymore. Right now, they were husbands. Right now, they loved each other.

 

Alex hoped it was enough. “Because  _ we _ are.” He answered simply and Aaron’s eyes looked at him with all the sadness in the world. He wished it would go away. Aaron grabbed his face gently and placed a kiss on his forehead, his nose and on the corner of his mouth before stopping right in front of his already kiss-swollen lips. He finally kissed him again, softer this time, with no sense of urgency and Alex wanted to get lost in the feeling forever. Aaron pulled away after a few seconds and placed his forehead against his own.

 

“What matters is what’s happening right now.”

 

Aaron’s video camera ran out of battery that night.

* * *

 

“It’s scary to open yourself up to another human being but--” Aaron looked to the side, his Alexander standing right behind the camera with a tiny smile on his face, and tried to find the courage to say something. What could he say? He couldn’t stop thinking about the last two nights they spent together. It felt like the very first nights of marriage instead of the last and it left a bittersweet taste in Aaron’s mouth.

 

Could he say there were surprises along the way?

 

Could he say that maybe he didn’t want to  _ stop  _ being married to Alexander?

 

Was he even capable of saying anything else other than  _ I fell in love with him? _

 

Could he even say anything at all?

 

He settled on repeating his sentence, scrapping out his original ending, and saying something he truly felt. It was vague enough for people not to pick up on what he felt for Alex but it was enough for his pumpkin to figure it all out. His Alex was a smart boy, he’ll give him the choice to say something if he wanted to. He was willing to wait for him, this time he was absolutely sure of it.

 

“It’s scary to open yourself up to another human being but it can also be really rewarding,” He wasn’t looking at the camera anymore, but rather at Alex. His ears perked a little bit at his statement and he bit his lip to stop himself from saying anything. He gave him the ghost of a smile before continuing. “And… I see that now.” The cameraman was now looking at both him and Alex with suspicion but he found himself not caring anymore.

 

“Thank you for that, Aaron.” Lafayette said with the same tone of suspicion in his voice as he watched the electric tension between him and Alex. “Now let’s have you two stand next to each other.”

* * *

“I’d love to get married someday, do you?”

 

_ I’d love to get married to you. _

 

“Oh definitely!”

 

“But not to each other.”

 

_ There is no one else I want to spend my life with anymore. _

 

“Yeah…” His sentence faltered before he could fully agree with Aaron. This wasn’t right. This didn’t even  _ feel  _ right. The nights they had together in each other’s arms were right. Them pretending that none of them ever happened wasn’t right. He looked up at Aaron, his eyes conveying a thousand words that he didn’t have the courage to say. He was aware that people were waiting for him to say something, anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to say something he didn’t mean.

 

_ Company policies be damned. _

 

“Actually, yes I want to marry someone one day. I want that someone to be  _ you. _ ” He could practically  _ feel  _ everyone’s jaws drop in the room but he didn’t have room in him to care. Enough was enough. If he had to hide something that he was genuinely proud of having, then what was the point of having it? He was in love with Aaron Burr and a stupid video in his most popular video series was not going to change that.

 

He was already in too deep.

 

He was helpless.

 

“Alex, could you say that again?” He heard Laurens say from behind the camera and he turned his gaze back to it with a determined look in his eye. Before he opened his mouth to spew the thousands of words building up inside him, Aaron’s hands on his face stopped him. Aaron turned his head back to face him. Alex only noticed now that his hands were trembling. By fear? He wasn’t sure but one look into Aaron’s relieved expression told him that maybe he didn’t want to hide it either.

 

“Pumpkin, are you sure about this?” Alex smiled and nodded. He brought one of Aaron’s hands closer to his lips and he kissed his knuckles before turning to the camera again. Aaron didn’t deserve to hide their relationship. Aaron deserved nothing but the sure feeling that Alex was not ashamed of what they became. 

 

_ Those chords remind me of the night that I first fell in love to _

 

“Surprise motherfuckers, we fell in love!”

 

_ Those magic changes. _

 

He kissed Aaron right on the mouth to prove it too. Aaron did not hesitate to kiss him back.

 

_ My heart arranges a melody that’s calling your name. _

* * *

 

One week later, they released the video with a new title:

 

_ Single People End Up Together After Marriage Experiment _

  
Alex couldn’t be any happier.

**Author's Note:**

> What company policy?
> 
> It doesn't exist
> 
> (Also they don't seem to give a shit)
> 
> Comment if you wish <3


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